Advocacy group remakes Coke ad using people suffering from sugar-related diseases

An iconic ad for Coca-Cola is being used to persuade people to limit their soda consumption.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest produced a two-minute video featuring Denver-area residents who say they are suffering health consequences from drinking soda.

CSPI is a nutrition, food safety and health advocacy group that lobbies policymakers to change regulations.

The jingle from the original ad, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony,” debuted in 1971, but decades later health advocates are changing its jingle to reflect a growing push to limit how much soda people drink.

“It’s a multibillion-dollar brainwashing campaign designed to distract us away from our diabetes with happy thoughts. We thought it was time to change the tune,” said Michael F. Jacobson, the executive director of CSPI.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in two Americans drinks a sugary beverage every day. The CDC links sugary drinks to a number of health problems. The American Heart Association recommends that people consume three 12-ounce cans or less of carbonated soda every week.